Short Summary

Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, continued his talks on Tuesday (10th Aug.) with Indian leaders - the day after the signing of the wide-ranging Indo-Soviet treaty on friendship, peace and co-operation.

Background: Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, continued his talks on Tuesday (10th Aug.) with Indian leaders - the day after the signing of the wide-ranging Indo-Soviet treaty on friendship, peace and co-operation. Mr. Gromyko described his talks with Minister of External Affairs, Swaran Singh, and Minister of Defence, Jagjivan Ram as "extremely useful". Mr. Gromyko also met the President of India, Mr. V.V.Giri.

SYNOPSIS: The Soviet Foreign Minister, Andrei Gromyko, and the Soviet Ambassador to India, attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Ghandi Memorial in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The day earlier Mr. Gromyko signed an Indo-Soviet treaty of friendship, peace and co-operation. After the ceremony, Mr. Gromyko continued his discussions with Indian leaders. Here he is meeting the Indian President, Mr. V.V. Giri.

The treaty between India and the Soviet Union provides for consultation in the event of attack on either country by a third party. And it also provides that if this occurs, the aggressor would not be given any military equipment by the other signatory.

At the Defence Ministry, Mr. Gromyko met the Minister for Defence, Mr. Jagjivan Ram, and other ministers. The treaty signed between the two countries has met with the approval of Parliament in Delhi. But it was stressed in a debate there that the pact was neither a military treaty nor a departure from India's nonaligned policy.

During the Parliamentary debate the right-wing Hindu nationalist Jan Sangh party leader, Mr. Vajpayee, welcomed the treaty as he felt it had won a friend for India at a critical moment. He felt that the treaty would forestall any threat of Chinese intervention in the event of another armed conflict with Pakistan. Mr. Gromyko also met the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Swaran Singh.

The talks with the Indian Foreign Ministers were described later by Mr. Gromyko as "extremely useful". And he said that the treaty was considered by the two countries as an historic event.